Jon R. Sorensen

Predictive Factors for Violent Misconduct in Close Custody

A retrospective review was conducted of the 2003 disciplinary records of close-custody inmates (N = 24,514) in the Florida Department of Corrections. The frequency of various forms of violent misconduct was inversely related to the severity of this prison violence. A logistic regression analysis controlling for other factors demonstrated that younger age, shorter sentence, prison gang affiliation, prior prison violence, and prior prison term were predictive of violent institutional misconduct. Conversely, older age, longer sentence, and violent offense of conviction were associated with lower rates of violent prison infractions. Actuarial models constructed from the logistic regression analysis were modestly successful in predicting institutional misconduct (area under the curve = .717 to .738, p < .001), whether predicting all infractions or violent misconduct of varying severity.

An Actuarial Model for Assessment of Prison Violence Risk Among Maximum Security Inmates

An experimental scale for the assessment of prison violence risk among maximum security inmates was developed from a logistic regression analysis involving inmates serving parole-eligible terms of varying length (n = 1,503), life-without-parole inmates (n = 960), and death-sentenced inmates who were mainstreamed into the general prison population (n = 132). Records of institutional violent misconduct of these 2,595 inmates were retrospectively examined for an 11-year period (1991 to 2002). Predictors affecting the likelihood of such misconduct included age, type and length of sentence, education, prior prison terms, prior probated sentences, and years served. The scale was modestly successful, as demonstrated by an overall omnibus area under the curve of .719. Double cross-validation demonstrated minimal shrinkage. The authors have termed this experimental scale the Risk Assessment Scale for Prison.

Conviction Offense and Prison Violence A Comparative Study of Murderers and Other Offenders

The characteristics of, and 2003 disciplinary data on, 51,527 inmates in the Florida Department of Corrections, including 9,586 inmates who had been convicted of some degree of homicide, were examined for rates and correlates of prison misconduct and violence. Disciplinary misconduct and institutional acts of violence committed by an admissions cohort (N = 14,088) and a subset of Close custody inmates (N = 4,113) also were considered. Regardless of conviction offense, the prevalence and rate of violent prison misconduct fell markedly as the severity of assault increased. Comparative data showed that convicted murderers did not account for a disproportionate share of prison violence, however defined. Furthermore, negative binomial regression models revealed that convicted murderers were not significantly more likely to engage in disciplinary misconduct or commit acts of institutional violence than were inmates serving time for other offenses.

An Assessment of Criminal Justice and Criminology Journal Prestige

The results from a survey of ACJS and ASC members show that, while generally stable over time, some significant changes in journal prestige ratings have occurred. The results also show divergences between criminologists and justicians, mainly in the ratings of lower ranked policy‐oriented journals. An unprecedented degree of concordance between the two groups was noted for the highest ranked journals. The triumph of methodological strength over subject matter in the ratings of these top journals suggests that paradigmatic differences are shrinking, and the discipline finally appears to be carving out its own niche encompassing the study of crime and crime control. *We would like to thank Collene Cantner, Frances Cullen, James Finckenauer, Sarah Hall, Craig Hemmens, Mike Vaughn, Trey Williams, the JCJE reviewers, and the survey respondents for their assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.

Juvenile Inmates in an Adult Prison System: Rates of Disciplinary Misconduct and Violence

Rates of disciplinary misconduct and violence among juvenile male inmates (N = 703) admitted to a state prison system from 1998 to 2002 are retrospectively examined. The prevalence and frequency of prison misconduct and violence are higher among juveniles than comparison groups of nearest age youthful adults (N = 3,640) and adult prisoners generally (N = 33,114), and this disparity between juvenile and adult inmates increases along with the severity of violence. This relationship is found to hold true even when other known correlates of prison violence are considered. In a logistic regression model that included educational level, gang affiliation, offense of conviction, and sentence length, age is found to be the most consistent and strongest determinant of prison violence, with those younger than 18 at entrance to prison being far more likely than adults to be involved in various levels of prison misconduct and violence.

The Effect of State Sentencing Policies on Incarceration Rates

This aricle explores the relationship between sentencing policies and the state incarceration rate, prison admission rate, and average sentence length in the late 1990s. Presumptive sentencing guidelines represent the only policy consistently related to incarceration and admission rates, whereas three strikes laws may increase the rate of admission to prison among those arrested for drug offenses. Determinate sentencing, mandatory sentencing, and truth-in-sentencing laws have no effect on rates of incarceration or admission. Crime rates, the percentage of the population that is Black, and citizen ideology have the greatest influence on the rates of incarceration and admission across states. The apparently limited effects of sentencing policies on incarceration or admission rates should give pause to state policy makers seeking to quickly alter prison populations through the adoption of such policies without considering other factors that independently influence prison populations in their states.

Patterns of Rule-Violating Behaviors and Adjustment to Incarceration among Murderers

The importation and deprivation models were used to examine the patterns of rule violation among groups of seldom studied, long-term inmates who have no hope of being granted parole, murderers sentenced to life without parole or death. Age and race were found to be consistent predictors of prison rule violations, with younger Black inmates being most likely to commit assaultive violations and to be among a group of high-rate offenders. During the first 10 years of their incarceration, these lifers and death-sentenced inmates exhibited a stable pattern of rule violating congruent with previous research on long-term inmate populations.

Actuarial Models for Assessing Prison Violence Risk: Revisions and Extensions of the Risk Assessment Scale for Prison (RASP).

An investigation and extension of the Risk Assessment Scale for Prison (RASP-Potosi), an actuarially derived scale for the assessment of prison violence, was undertaken through a retrospective review of the disciplinary records of the first 12 months of confinement of a cohort of inmates entering the Florida Department of Corrections in 2002 and remaining throughout 2003 (N = 14,088). A near replication of the RASP-Potosi and additional analyses based on other weighted logistic regression models were performed on an inmate subsample for whom all information categories were available (n = 13,341). Younger age and shorter sentences were associated with increased violent misconduct. Older age, drug conviction, and higher educational attainment were associated with reduced violent misconduct. Regardless of whether the original RASP-Potosi or its progeny were utilized, or the custody level of the inmate sample, the models were modestly successful in predicting prison violence, with the area under the curve (AUC) ranging from .645 to .707.

No Hope for Parole: Disciplinary Infractions among Death-Sentenced and Life-Without-Parole Inmates

The disciplinary records of 93 death-sentenced and 323 life-without-parole inmates were compared to those of 232 life-with-parole inmates. Disciplinary infraction levels across the groups were similar, differences disappearing when other variables were included in a multivariate regression. Death-sentenced and life-without-parole inmates were not more likely than life-with-parole inmates to commit acts of violence (i.e., murders or assaults). It was concluded that restrictive policies that are based on the assumptions of a disproportionate amount of violent behavior by death-sentenced and life-without-parole inmates should be reevaluated.

Nothing to Lose? A Comparative Examination of Prison Misconduct Rates Among Life-Without-Parole and Other Long-Term High-Security Inmates

The impact of life-without-parole (LWOP) sentencing for inmate misconduct has important implications for inmate classification, prison management, capital sentencing determinations, and public policy considerations. This study seeks to illuminate these issues by comparing the disciplinary behavior of 1,897 inmates sentenced to LWOP in the Florida Department of Corrections to that of 7,147 inmates serving sentences of 10 to 30 or more years. The sample is restricted to inmates admitted between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2002, sentenced to a prison term of 10 years or longer, who remained in prison on December 31, 2003, and classified to close custody. The data show that the likelihood and pattern of disciplinary infractions and potentially violent rule infractions among LWOP inmates during 1998 to 2003 is broadly similar to that of other long-term inmates, supporting a conclusion that LWOP inmates act as a stabilizing rather than disruptive force in the prison environment.